Hub Group, Inc. [HUBG] Filings

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

(Mark One)

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 or

For the transition period from _____ to _____

Commission File No. 0-27754

HUB GROUP, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

(630) 271-3600

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act:

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark if Registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐ No ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 229.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer or a smaller reporting company. See definitions of “large accelerated filer”, “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☒

If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☒

The aggregate market value of the Registrant’s voting stock held by non-affiliates on June 30, 2023, based upon the last reported sale price on that date on the NASDAQ Global Select Market of $40.16 per share, was $2,487,094,182.

On February 16, 2024, the Registrant had 62,252,354 outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock, par value $.01 per share, and 574,903 outstanding shares of Class B Common Stock, par value $.01 per share.

Documents Incorporated by Reference

HUB GROUP, INC.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART I

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

Statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements, provided pursuant to the safe harbor established under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that might cause the actual performance of the Company to differ materially from those expressed or implied by this discussion and, therefore, should be viewed with caution. Further information on the risks that may affect the Company’s business is included under Item 1A “Risk Factors” and in subsequent filings the Company makes with the SEC from time to time. The Company assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements.

Item 1. BUSINESS

General

Hub Group, Inc. (the “Company”, “Hub”, “we”, “us” or “our”) is a leading supply chain solutions provider that offers comprehensive transportation and logistics management services focused on reliability, visibility and value for our customers. Our mission is to continuously elevate each customer’s business to drive long term success. Our vision is to build the industry’s premier supply chain solution. Our service offerings include a full range of freight transportation and logistics services, some of which are provided using assets we own and operate, and some of which are provided by third parties with whom we contract. As we have continued to expand our service offerings and diversify our business, we have also made changes to the financial information that our CEO, who has been identified as our Chief Operating Decision Maker (CODM), uses to make operating and capital decisions. Beginning in the first quarter of 2023, we concluded that we have two reportable segments: Intermodal and Transportation Solutions (“ITS”) and Logistics which are based primarily on the services each segment provides. We have recast the prior period information to conform with current year presentation. Our ITS segment includes our intermodal and dedicated trucking. Our Logistics segment includes full outsource logistics solutions, transportation management services, freight consolidation, warehousing and fulfillment, and final mile delivery services. Logistics also includes our brokerage business which provides third-party truckload, less-than-truckload (“LTL”), flatbed and temperature-controlled needs.

We are one of the largest freight transportation providers in North America. Hub services a large and diversified customer base in a broad range of industries, including retail, consumer products, automotive and durable goods. We believe our strategy to offer multi-modal supply chain management solutions serves to strengthen and deepen our relationships with our customers and allows us to provide a more cost effective and higher service solution.

We employ sales and marketing representatives throughout North America who service local, regional and national accounts. We believe that fostering long-term customer relationships is critical to our success and allows us to better understand our customers’ needs and specifically tailor the transportation and logistics services we provide to them.

Our business is seasonal to the extent that certain customer groups and their shipping demand, such as retail, are seasonal. A significant portion of our revenue and earnings is related to the provision of services to customers who serve consumer end markets in North America. As such our business generally experiences a higher level of demand during the time leading up to the December holidays, as our customers seek to build their inventories by moving their goods into distribution centers (both their own, as well as locations that we operate) and retail store locations in the second half of the calendar year.

The transportation and logistics services industry is highly competitive. We compete against intermodal providers, logistics companies, third-party brokers, trucking carriers, transportation management providers, warehousing providers and railroads that market their own services. Competition is based primarily on rates charged for services provided, quality of service, reliability, transit time and scope of operations.

Our service offering facilitates our customers’ desires for energy-efficient transportation and logistics solutions and assists in meeting their objectives to reduce their environmental footprint. Our intermodal service is significantly more fuel efficient as compared to trucking transportation, and we continually seek opportunities to convert our customers’ transportation needs from trucking to intermodal. In addition, our logistics offering includes shipment consolidation and network optimization services that seek to maximize the amount of freight carried per mile which reduces fuel consumption. One of the objectives of our investment strategy is to replace older model tractors with newer, more energy-efficient equipment. We also are investing in new technologies such as electric-powered tractors that offer attractive environmental benefits to us and our customers. Our GPS-enabled container fleet allows for our truck drivers and third-party carriers to efficiently locate our containers without driving wasted miles. We are an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) SmartWay® Transport Partner, having been awarded the EPA’s SmartWay® Excellence Award nine times since 2008. Our headquarter buildings in Oak Brook, IL are certified as “Gold” by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) organization. Please see the Investors section of our website (investors.hubgroup.com) for additional information on our environmental, social and governance attributes.

Our strategy to grow revenue, net income and cash flow includes the following elements:

We are committed to investing in technology to facilitate the growth of our business while enabling efficiency in our operations. Our digital strategy leverages advanced technology for our core operating systems, while we invest in emerging technologies to achieve our business goals and enable innovative solutions for our stakeholders, which include customers, drivers, vendors and employees. Consistent with our strategy of acquiring companies that strengthen our offering to our customers, in 2022 we achieved system integration of Choptank and TAGG into our tech landscape which enabled cross-selling of our brokerage and fulfillment services for our expended customer base. We expect to complete the same type of integration with the Forward Air Final Mile business during 2024. We continue to make significant investment in refreshing critical technology for key functions including customer management, pricing, and order to cash processes, while enabling advanced technologies for data mining and trend analysis.

Development of the Business

We have been a leader in the intermodal industry since our business was founded in 1971. Today we generate over $4 billion in annual revenue, having grown through the addition of new customers, through cross-selling our services to our customer base, by investing in equipment such as containers and tractors, by developing new service offerings, and through the acquisitions of new business lines. For example, over the past several years we have invested in a fleet of refrigerated intermodal containers that represents a new service line which we marketed to our existing customer base.

We regularly evaluate acquisitions as a component of our strategy to enhance our core business lines and diversify our service offerings. Our recent strategic transactions include the following:

Forward Air Final Mile Acquisition. On December 20, 2023, we acquired 100% of the equity interests of Forward Air Final Mile (“FAFM”). FAFM provides residential last mile delivery services and installation of big and bulky goods, with a focus on appliances, throughout the United States. The financial results of FAFM, since the date of acquisition, are included in our Logistics segment.

TAGG Acquisition. On August 22, 2022, we acquired 100% of the equity interests of TAGG Logistics, LLC (“TAGG”). The acquisition expanded our presence in the consolidation and fulfillment space and added a complementary e-commerce offering to serve our customers' multimodal transportation and logistics needs. The acquisition added scale to our logistics service line and has enabled cross-selling opportunities. The financial results of TAGG, since the date of acquisition, are primarily included in our Logistics segment.

Choptank Acquisition. On October 19, 2021, we acquired 100% of the equity interests of Choptank Transport, LLC (“Choptank”). The acquisition added scale to our truck brokerage operation, enhanced our refrigerated trucking transportation services offering and complemented our growing fleet of refrigerated intermodal containers. The financial results of Choptank, since the date of acquisition, are primarily included in our Logistics segment.

Services Provided

As part of our profit improvement initiatives, we have focused on realizing efficiencies between our drayage trucking operation (which supports our intermodal service) and our dedicated trucking operation, including through the sharing of equipment and drivers, and by leveraging a combined set of driver support services including driver recruiting, asset management and safety functions. As a result, beginning in the first quarter of 2023, we concluded we have two reportable segments - Intermodal and Transportation Solutions and Logistics, which are based primarily on the services each segment provides. We have recast the prior period information to conform with current year presentation. We operate the following segments:

Intermodal and transportation solutions. Our intermodal and transportation solutions segment offers high service, nationwide door-to-door intermodal transportation, providing value, visibility and reliability in both transcontinental and local lanes by combining rail transportation with local trucking. Our service offering is well positioned to assist our customers in reducing their transportation spend and achieving their carbon emissions objectives. As an intermodal provider, we arrange for the movement of our customers’ freight in one of our containers, typically over long distances of 750 miles or more. We contract with railroads to provide transportation for the long-haul portion of the shipment between rail terminals. Local pickup and delivery services (referred to as “drayage”) between origin or destination and rail terminals are provided by our own trucking operations and third parties with whom we contract. Our predictive track and trace technology monitors the shipment to ensure that it arrives as scheduled and provides notification to our customer service personnel if there are service delays. As of December 31, 2023, we owned approximately 50,000 dry, 53-foot containers and 900 refrigerated 53-foot containers.

As of December 31, 2023, our trucking transportation operation consisted of approximately 2,300 tractors, 2,900 employee drivers and 4,300 trailers. We also contract for services with approximately 460 independent owner-operators who supply their own equipment and operate under our regulatory authority. These assets and contractual services are used to support drayage for our intermodal service offering and to serve our customers who require high service local and regional trucking transportation using equipment dedicated to their needs. Our dedicated service operation offers fleets of equipment and drivers to each customer on a contract basis, as well as the management and infrastructure to operate according to the customer’s high service expectations.

During 2023, approximately 78% of Hub’s drayage needs were provided by our own fleet, which includes our drivers and tractors and owner operators with whom we contracted operating under our motor carrier authority. As of December 31, 2023, we operated trucking terminals at 26 locations throughout the United States, with locations in many large metropolitan areas.

Logistics. Our Logistics segment offers a wide range of non-asset-based services including transportation management, freight brokerage services, shipment optimization, load consolidation, mode selection, carrier management, load planning and execution, warehousing, fulfillment, cross-docking, consolidation services and final mile delivery. Logistics includes our brokerage business which consists of a full range of trucking transportation services, including dry van, expedited, less-than-truckload (“LTL”), refrigerated and flatbed, all of which is provided by third-party carriers with whom we contract. We leverage proprietary technology along with collaborative relationships with third-party service providers to deliver cost savings and performance-enhancing supply chain services to our clients. Our transportation management offering also serves as a source of volume for our ITS segment. Many of the customers for these solutions are consumer goods companies who sell into the retail channel. Our final mile delivery offering provides residential final mile delivery and installation of appliances and big and bulky goods. Final mile operates through a network of independent service providers in company, customer and third-party facilities throughout the continental United States. Our business operates or has access to approximately 11 million square feet of warehousing and cross-dock space across North America, to which our customers ship their goods to be stored and distributed to destinations including residences, retail stores and other commercial locations. These services offer our customers shipment visibility, transportation cost savings, high service and compliance with retailers’ increasingly stringent supply chain requirements.

Relationships with Transportation and Warehouse Vendors

We utilize an asset-light strategy that employs a combination of our company-operated equipment as well as assets operated by third parties to transport and store our customers’ goods, which allows us to optimize our investment in equipment and facilities and reduce the level of capital we employ in our business. We are one of the largest purchasers of rail transportation services in North America and generally have multi-year contractual agreements with our railroad providers that specify the costs we pay for transportation and related services, as well as service levels and other provisions. Due to the importance of our relationship, some of our railroad providers have dedicated support personnel to focus on our day-to-day service requirements. On a regular basis, our senior executives and our railroad providers meet to discuss major strategic issues concerning intermodal transportation.

Approximately 78% of our drayage services are provided by our fleet. We contract with approximately 460 owner-operators who supply their own equipment and operate under our regulatory authority. We also procure drayage services from third parties, and we believe we are one of the largest purchasers of drayage transportation in the United States.

Our brokerage and logistics business lines are significant purchasers of truckload and less-than-truckload transportation from third parties. We contract with a large number of trucking companies that we use to provide these transportation services. Our relationships with these trucking companies are important since these relationships determine pricing, load coverage and service that we provide to our customers.

We have relationships with several national and local operators of warehouses and cross-dock facilities who provide a range of services to us including storage, product handling and related activities. We also operate our own warehouse locations which are leased from third-party landlords. Our final mile operation contracts with nearly 570 vendors across the United States who provide warehousing and delivery services.

We require all of our trucking vendors to carry auto liability and cargo insurance. Railroads, which typically carry higher self-insured retentions, provide limited cargo protection. To cover freight loss or damage we carry our own cargo insurance. We also carry general and auto liability insurance with an umbrella policy to cover potential exposure from our company-owned drayage and dedicated operations.

Government Regulations

The Company and several of our subsidiaries are licensed by the United States Department of Transportation (“DOT”) as brokers in arranging for the transportation of general commodities by motor vehicle. To the extent that we perform truck brokerage services, we do so under these licenses. The DOT prescribes qualifications for acting in this capacity. Our trucking subsidiaries operate under DOT motor carrier authority. We are licensed by the United States Federal Maritime Commissions (“FMC”) as an Ocean Transportation Intermediary authorized to provide ocean freight forwarding and non-vessel operating common carrier services, which are regulated by the FMC. Our business is also subject to requirements published by the United States Food and Drug Administration under the Food Safety Modernization Act regarding the use of sanitary transportation practices to ensure the safety of food transported by motor vehicle and rail. To date, compliance with these regulations and licensing requirements has not had a material adverse effect on our capital expenditures, earnings or competitive position.

There are federal, state and local laws and regulations concerning environmental matters and employee health and safety that apply to the Company’s operations. The Company is also subject to various federal, state and local laws and government regulations related to employment in the jurisdictions where we conduct business. Complying with these and other laws and regulations has not had a materially adverse effect on the Company’s business.

Custom-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism

One of our subsidiaries achieved Custom-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (“C-TPAT”) certification in 2013 and has maintained it since then. C-TPAT is a voluntary supply chain security program led by United States Customs and Border Protection focused on improving the security of private companies’ supply chains. Companies who achieve C-TPAT certification must have a documented process for determining and alleviating risks throughout their international supply chain. This certification allows us to be considered low risk, resulting in expedited processing of our customers’ cargo, including fewer customs examinations.

Human Capital

Hub conducts business with and provides services to customers through a combination of office employees, driver employees and warehouse employees. We also contract with independent contractors and with staffing firms who provide personnel who provide their services in our warehouse operations. As of December 31, 2023, Hub had approximately 5,950 employees, which included approximately 2,900 drivers and 1,050 warehouse employees. In addition, as of December 31, 2023, we contracted with approximately 460 independent contractor drivers and had approximately 530 contractors working in our warehouse locations. We are not a party to any collective bargaining agreements and consider our relationship with our employees to be satisfactory.

Hub’s success depends in part on our ability to attract and retain skilled staff members, drivers and warehouse employees. Our executive management team receives regular updates regarding headcount changes, turnover rates, hiring rates, manager training and employee satisfaction. We invest in the development of our employees through our Hub University learning management system, which provides access to a variety of e-learning courses and modules to further develop job skills, increase knowledge of our business, and promote adherence to safety and compliance procedures. We seek to offer a competitive compensation package, which may include incentive compensation elements, as well as an attractive package of employee benefits. We are committed to employee engagement and an inclusive culture that values and respects every employee.

Hub strives to create a culture of accountability, safety and teamwork. We set annual performance goals for our operations teams relative to collisions and injuries and track performance monthly to ensure accountability. Further, we provide company-wide recognition on a monthly basis for employees who are nominated for performance that demonstrates our guiding principles of winning together, innovating with purpose and acting with integrity.

Information About Our Executive Officers

There exists no arrangement or understanding between any executive officer and any other person pursuant to which such executive officer was selected.

The table sets forth certain information as of February 1, 2024 with respect to each person who is an executive officer of the Company.

David P. Yeager has served as the Executive Chairman of our Board of Directors since January 2023. Mr. Yeager previously served as Chairman of the Board between November 2008 and December 2022 and as Chief Executive Officer between March 1995 and December 2022. From March 1995 through November 2008, Mr. Yeager served as Vice Chairman of the Board. From October 1985 through December 1991, Mr. Yeager was President of Hub City Terminals (Hub Chicago). From 1983 to October 1985, he served as Vice President, Marketing of Hub Chicago. Mr. Yeager founded our St. Louis office in 1980 and served as its President from 1980 to 1983. Mr. Yeager founded our Pittsburgh office in 1975 and served as its President from 1975 to 1977. Mr. Yeager received a Masters of Business Administration degree from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Dayton. Mr. Yeager is the father of Phillip D. Yeager.

Phillip D. Yeager became our President and Chief Executive Officer on January 1, 2023 and was appointed Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors in February 2024. Previously Mr. Yeager served as President and Chief Operating Officer since July 2019, and as Chief Commercial Officer overseeing Intermodal and Truck Brokerage operations as well as sales, pricing, solutions and account management since January 2018. Mr. Yeager formerly held the role of Executive Vice President, Account Management and Intermodal Operations since January 2016 after serving as Vice President of Account Management and Business Development from February 2014 to January 2016. Mr. Yeager joined the Company in 2011 as the Director of Strategy and Acquisitions. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Yeager served as Assistant Vice President of Commercial Banking at BMO Harris Bank, and as an investment banking analyst for Lazard Freres & Co. Mr. Yeager earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Trinity College and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Mr. Yeager is the son of David P. Yeager.

Brian D. Alexander became our Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer on January 1, 2023. Mr. Alexander previously served as Executive Vice President, Logistics between September 2015 and December 2022. Before being named Executive Vice President, Mr. Alexander served as Vice President of Operations of Logistics from December 2010 to September 2015 and was responsible for the operational execution and excellence for manufacturing, retail and consumer packaged goods clients. Prior to that, Mr. Alexander was Senior Director of Strategic Accounts, where he had a ten-year history of managing and directing continuous improvement initiatives for key accounts. Mr. Alexander earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Marquette University and Masters of Business Administration degree from Cardinal Stritch University.

Kevin W. Beth was named Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasure on January 1, 2024 with responsibility over the organization’s financial activities, acquisitions, investor relations and relationships with the company’s lenders. Prior to this role, Mr. Beth served as Executive Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer since July 2020 where he transformed Hub Group’s financial systems and was instrumental in leading the accounting organization through the integration of acquisitions, divestitures and the implementation of new accounting standards. Mr. Beth joined the Company in October 2003 as Corporate Controller and served as Controller and Assistant Treasurer beginning in March 2007. Mr. Beth is a Certified Public Accountant and held various auditing and corporate accounting positions prior to joining the Company. Mr. Beth received a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the University of Illinois.

Dhruv Bansal was named Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer in March 2022. Previously, Mr. Bansal served as Senior Vice President of Application Development and was responsible for the development, configuration, and delivery of Hub’s software as well as the product development strategy, architecture, and technical solutions. Mr. Bansal has spent over 20 years in engineering and product development roles. Before joining Hub in 2020, Mr. Bansal served as Vice President Transport IT Solutions for XPO Logistics, Inc. where he led IT for multiple North American transportation business units and was Vice President, Product Development at E2Open, a developer of a SaaS-based supply-chain management platform. Mr. Bansal earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad, India and a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from V.J.T.I. in Bombay, India.

Thomas P. LaFrance became our Executive Vice President, Chief Legal and Human Resources Officer and Corporate Secretary in February 2024 after joining the Company as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary in August 2021. In this role, Mr. LaFrance leads the Company’s legal, claims and compliance, and human resource efforts. Mr. LaFrance has over 30 years of global legal experience in multiple sectors, including having served as general counsel of General Electric Company's transportation and security technology divisions, as well as senior legal roles at Wabtec Corporation, National Grid plc and United Technologies Corporation. Earlier in his career, Mr. LaFrance was a partner at the law firm Goodwin Proctor. Mr. LaFrance graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Boston College and received his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center.

Brian Meents became our Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer and President of Intermodal and Transportation Solutions in February 2024 after previously holding the role of Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer since 2023. Mr. Meents is responsible for our intermodal business as well as pricing, analytics, continuous improvement, and marketing. Mr. Meents joined Hub Group in 2009 and held roles with increasing responsibility in business development, as Vice President of Account Management, where he focused on the development of client relationships, account strategy and innovation, and as Executive Vice President of Account Management, Sales, and Marketing. In addition to his responsibilities at Hub, Mr. Meents serves on the board of the University of Denver’s Transportation and Supply Chain Institute. Mr. Meents received his Bachelor’s degree from North Central College and an Executive Master’s degree in Transportation from the University of Denver.

Available Information

Our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to reports filed pursuant to Sections 13(a) and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (“Exchange Act”), are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). We are subject to the informational requirements of the Exchange Act and file or furnish reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. The reports and other information that we file with the SEC are available free of charge on our website at www.hubgroup.com as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file or furnish such reports to the SEC. In addition, the SEC maintains a website (www.sec.gov) that contains our annual, quarterly, and current reports, proxy and information statements, and other information we electronically file with, or furnish to, the SEC. Information on the websites referenced in this Form 10-K is not incorporated by reference into this filing. Further, our references to website URLs are intended to be inactive textual references only.

Item 1A. RISK FACTORS

Business Environment and Competition Risks

A significant portion of our revenue is derived from intermodal and transportation solutions and from our significant customers.

We derived 59% of our revenue from our intermodal and transportation solutions in 2023, 62% in 2022 and 63% in 2021. As a result, any decrease in demand for intermodal transportation services could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

Our 10 largest customers accounted for approximately 42% of our total revenue in 2023, 43% in 2022 and 42% in 2021. In each of the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, one customer accounted for more than 10% of our annual revenue in both segments. While our dedicated and logistics businesses may involve long-term customer contracts, those contracts may contain cancellation clauses, and there is no assurance that our current customers will continue to utilize our services or continue at the same levels. A reduction in or termination of our services by one or more of our largest customers could have a material adverse effect on our revenue and business. While we continue to focus our efforts on diversifying our customer base, we may not be successful in doing so.

Because we depend on railroads for our operations, our operating results and financial condition are likely to be adversely affected by any increase in rates, reduction or deterioration in rail service or change in the railroads’ reliance on us to market their intermodal transportation services.

We depend on major railroads in North America for the intermodal services we provide. In many regions, rail service is provided by one or a limited number of railroads. We primarily rely on contractual relationships with two railroads to support our intermodal business. Consequently, a reduction in, or elimination of, rail service to a particular market is likely to materially adversely affect our ability to provide intermodal transportation services to some of our customers. Rate increases to our customers may reduce the attractiveness of intermodal transportation compared to truck or other transportation modes, which could cause a decrease in demand

for our services. Further, our ability to continue to expand our intermodal transportation business is dependent upon the railroads’ ability to increase capacity for intermodal freight and provide consistent and reliable service. Our business has, at times, been adversely affected by situations impacting one or more railroads, including labor shortages, slowdowns or stoppages, adverse weather conditions, changes to rail operations, or other factors that hinder the railroads’ ability to provide reliable transportation services and these situations may occur again in the future. To date, our primary railroad providers have chosen to rely on us and other intermodal providers to market their intermodal services rather than fully developing their own marketing capabilities. If one or more of the major railroads reduced their dependence on us or decreased the capacity that they made available to us, including by servicing additional intermodal marketing companies, the volume of intermodal shipments we arrange would likely decline, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

Our ability to expand our business or maintain our profitability is adversely affected by a shortage of drivers and capacity.

We derive significant revenue from our transportation services and depend on qualified drivers to provide these services. There is significant competition for qualified drivers in the transportation industry. Additionally, interventions and enforcement under the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (“FMCSA”) Compliance, Safety, Accountability program or other programs may shrink the industry’s pool of drivers as those drivers with unfavorable scores may no longer be eligible to drive for us. Driver shortages and reliance on third-party companies for the operation of our services has, and in the future could, adversely affect our profitability and limit our ability to expand our business or retain customers. Most drayage, truckload, final mile, and certain less-than-truckload companies operate relatively small fleets and have limited access to capital for fleet expansion. Particularly during recent and future periods of economic expansion, it is difficult for our trucking operations and third-party trucking companies, to expand their fleets due to chronic driver shortages. Driver shortages have resulted in increases to drivers’ compensation that we may be unable to fully pass on to our customers and have left trucks sitting idle and created difficulty meeting customer demands, all of which could adversely affect our growth and profitability.

We operate in a highly competitive industry and our business may suffer if we are unable to adequately address potential downward pricing pressures and other competitive factors.

The transportation and logistics industry is highly competitive and cyclical. We face competition in all geographic markets and each industry sector in which we operate. Increased competition or our inability to compete successfully may lead to a reduction in our volume, reduced revenues, reduced profit margins, increased pricing pressure, or a loss of customer relationships, any one of which could affect our business and financial results. Numerous competitive factors could impair our ability to maintain our current profitability, including the following:

Our customers’ and suppliers’ businesses may be negatively affected by various economic and other factors such as recessions, downturns in the economy, global uncertainty and instability, the effects of pandemics, the effects of climate change, changes in United States social, political, and regulatory conditions or a disruption of financial markets, which may decrease demand for our services or increase our costs.

Our primary business is to transport, and arrange for the transport of, goods and, as a result, our business levels are directly tied to the purchase and production of goods and the rate of growth or decline in domestic and global trade, which are key macroeconomic measurements influenced by, among other things, inflation and deflation, supply chain disruptions, interest rates and currency exchange rates, labor costs and unemployment levels, regulatory initiatives and other government activity, fuel and energy prices, public health crises, inventory levels, buying patterns and disposable income, debt levels, and credit and capital availability. When companies purchase and produce fewer goods, we transport and arrange for the transport of fewer goods. Any broad decline in the activity of our customers could result in a decline in our revenue and our ability to maintain our profitability unless we are able to continue growing our business and replace such declining customer demand with new customers and demand.

In general, while we endeavor to prepare for changes in macroeconomic conditions, we have limited ability to foresee macroeconomic changes, including the drivers influencing such changes. Nonetheless, we believe certain trends will likely affect the economy, and by extension our business, in the near and long term. Among these are, uncertainty and instability in the global or domestic economy, geopolitical events, and any other action that governments may take to withdraw from or materially modify international trade arrangements or decrease economic production, consumption and inflation. Significant weather events or patterns, which may become more frequent or common as a result of climate-change, could also affect market conditions in ways that we cannot foresee and impact the volume or health of our customers’ business or our suppliers’ ability to provide us with goods or services. The United States government and foreign governments may take other actions that may impact the purchase and production of goods, including imposing tariffs or other regulations on certain goods shipped by our customers, that may increase costs for goods transported globally and reduce end-user demand for these products. Demand for, or production of, goods could also decline due to capital constraints, increased interest rates, and non-trade related regulatory actions such as regulations to address climate change.

Customers encountering adverse economic or other conditions, including a high interest rate environment, may be unable to obtain additional financing or financing under acceptable terms. These customers represent a greater potential for bad debt losses, which may require us to increase our reserve for bad debt. Economic conditions resulting in bankruptcies of one or more of our large customers could have a significant impact on our financial position, results of operations or liquidity in a particular year or quarter. Further, when adverse economic times arise, customers may select competitors that offer lower rates in an attempt to lower their costs and we might be forced to lower our rates or lose freight volumes.

Our suppliers’ business levels also may be negatively affected by adverse economic and other conditions, which could lead to disruptions in the supply and availability of equipment, parts and services critical to our operations. A significant interruption in our normal supply chain could disrupt our operations, increase our costs and negatively impact our ability to serve our customers.

We are also subject to cost increases outside of our control that could materially reduce our profitability if we are unable to increase our rates sufficiently. Such cost increases include capital expenditures to update our tractor fleet to meet climate change-focused regulatory requirements or market demands for lower emission equipment, increases in wage rates, fuel prices, interest rates, taxes, tolls, license and registration fees, insurance, equipment and healthcare for our employees.

We also rely on the timely and free flow of goods through open and operational international shipping lanes and ports. Disruptions of these shipping lanes, such as the drought impacting the Panama Canal and ongoing geopolitical conditions, including terrorist acts, impacting the Suez Canal, could create significant risks for our business or provide opportunities with changes to shipping patterns.

Our business could be adversely affected by strikes or work stoppages by truck drivers, warehouse employees, port employees and railroad employees, or the decision of our employees to unionize.

There may be labor unrest, including strikes and work stoppages, among workers at various transportation providers and in industries affecting the transportation industry, such as warehousing and ports. We could lose business due to any significant work stoppage or slowdown and, if labor unrest results in increased rates for transportation providers, we may not be able to pass these cost increases on to our customers. Strikes, work slowdowns, or labor shortages among longshoremen and other workers at ports may result in reduced activity at the ports for a time, creating an impact on the transportation industry. Work stoppages occurring among owner-operators in a specific market have increased our operating costs periodically in the past. Strikes, work slowdowns, or labor shortages among railroad employees in the United States, Canada or anywhere else that our customers’ freight travels by railroad would impact our operations. Any significant work stoppage, slowdown or other disruption, including disruption due to restrictions imposed as a result of a pandemic, involving port employees, railroad employees, warehouse employees or truck drivers could adversely affect our business and results of operations.

Currently, none of our employees are represented by a collective bargaining agreement. If in the future our employees decide to unionize, this would increase our operating costs and force us to alter the way we operate causing an adverse effect on our operating results.

Relatively small increases in our transportation and warehouse costs, including fuel, that we are unable to pass through to our customers are likely to have a significant adverse effect on our operating income.

Purchased transportation and warehousing costs represented 75% of our consolidated revenue in 2023, 76% in 2022 and 75% in 2021. Because transportation and warehouse costs represent such a significant portion of our costs, any increases in the operating costs of railroads, warehouse vendors, and other transportation providers can be expected to result in higher rates that we pay to such providers. Transportation costs may increase if we are unable to contract with owner-operators or recruit Company employee drivers as this may increase the costs we pay for drivers or force us to use more expensive purchased transportation. Any inability to pass cost increases to our customers is likely to have a significant adverse effect on our gross margin and operating income and cash flows.

Our business depends on the availability of fuel. Fuel availability and cost are affected by natural or man-made disasters, adverse weather conditions, political events, disruption or failure of technology or information systems, price and supply decisions by oil producing countries and cartels, government actions including climate change regulations, terrorist activities, armed conflict and world supply and demand imbalance. We do not maintain fuel storage and pumping stations at all of our facilities. Therefore, a disruption in the global fuel supply resulting from factors outside of our control, that increases the demand for fuel traditionally used by trucks, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

Fuel costs can be very volatile and fuel price fluctuations occur due to factors outside our control. Significant increase in fuel prices or fuel taxes that we are unable to offset by any fuel surcharges or freight rate increases could have an adverse impact on our business operations. We have a fuel surcharge program in place with many of our customers that typically allows us to recover the costs associated with volatile fuel prices. Our inability to time the fuel surcharges billed to customers with the change in fuel costs could affect our operations. Rapid increases in fuel costs could also have a material adverse effect on our operations or future profitability.

Additionally, proposed and potential new legislation intended to encourage the adoption of alternative fuel technologies, including electric vehicles (“EVs”), as well as potential customer demand driven by similar legislation and market-driven expectations, could accelerate or expand our plans for a transition to EVs. The Company has piloted the use of EVs but has no immediate plans for a broad transition to EVs. The Company’s broader usage of EVs will depend on several factors including availability of EVs, access to charging infrastructure, consistent availability of electrical supply, and availability of tax or other incentives to mitigate the required capital expenditures for EV fleet purchases, charging, maintenance, replenishment and expansion. If legislative or market forces require the accelerated deployment of EVs before other cost and operational factors are adequately addressed, then such transition could have a material adverse effect on our operations and future profitability.

Extreme or unusual weather conditions can disrupt our operations, impact freight volumes, and increase our costs, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business results.

Our operations are affected by external factors such as severe weather and other natural occurrences, which may increase in frequency and severity due to climate change, that adversely impact operating locations where we have vehicles, warehouses and other facilities. These events may disrupt fuel supplies, increase fuel costs, affect the performance of our vehicles, disrupt freight shipments or routes, restrict the availability of our workforce, affect regional economies, destroy our assets, interrupt our business, adversely affect the business or financial condition of our customers, or limit or interrupt the availability of goods or services from our suppliers. While we have been able to avoid or mitigate the impact of these events by, for example, re-routing our equipment or passing on increased costs associated with these events, we may not be able to do so in the future. Insurance to protect against loss of business and other related consequences resulting from these natural occurrences is subject to coverage limitations, depending on the nature of the risk insured. Such insurance may not be sufficient to cover all of our damages or damages to others and this insurance may not continue to be available at commercially reasonable rates. Even with insurance, if any natural occurrence leads to a catastrophic interruption of service, we may not be able to mitigate a significant interruption in operations.

Our insurance program may not be sufficient to cover all anticipated risks and liabilities associated with our operations.

We are partially self-insured for certain employee medical coverage losses, excluding employees covered by health maintenance organizations. We generally have an individual stop loss deductible per enrollee unless specific exposures are separately insured. We accrue a contingent liability based upon examination of historical trends, historical actuarial analysis, our claims experience, total plan enrollment (including employee contributions), population demographics, and other various estimates. Self-insurance reserves, net income, and cash flows could be materially affected if future claims differ significantly from our historical trends and assumptions.

We are partially self-insured for vehicle liability and workers’ compensation claims. Our self-insurance accruals are based on actuarially estimated, undiscounted cost of claims, which includes claims incurred but not reported. While we believe that our estimation processes are well designed and comply with generally accepted accounting principles and other accounting and finance best practices, any projection of losses concerning workers’ compensation and vehicle liability is subject to a considerable degree of variability. The causes of this variability include litigation trends, changes in medical costs, claim settlement patterns and fluctuations in the frequency or severity of accidents. If actual losses incurred are greater than those anticipated, our self-insurance reserves may be insufficient and additional costs could be recorded in our consolidated financial statements. If we suffer a substantial loss in excess of our self-insured limits, the loss and attendant expenses may be covered by traditional insurance and excess insurance the Company has in place, but if not covered or above such coverages, losses could harm our business, financial condition or results of operations.

We also are exposed to various other types of claims, including cargo loss and damage, property damage, and personal injury. We maintain insurance coverage with third-party insurance carriers for these types of claims as well as for other business and operational risks (including cybersecurity, data privacy, directors & officers), but we assume a significant portion of the risk associated with these claims due to high self-insured retention (“SIR”) and deductibles. Our operating results could be adversely affected if any of the following were to occur: (i) the number or the severity of claims increases; (ii) we are required to accrue or pay additional amounts because claims prove to be more severe than our original assessment; or (iii) claims exceed our coverage amounts. If the number or severity of claims increases, our operating results could also be adversely affected if the cost to renew our insurance was increased when our current coverage expires. If these expenses increase, and we are unable to offset the increase with higher rates to our customers, our earnings could be materially and adversely affected. In addition, insurance companies generally require us to collateralize our SIR or deductible levels. At December 31, 2023, we had insurance-related surety bonds totaling $46.9 million and letters of credit totaling $0.2 million. If these collateralization requirements increase, our borrowing capacity could be adversely affected.

Technology and Cybersecurity Risks

If we fail to maintain and enhance our information technology systems, or if we fail to successfully implement new technology or enhancements, we may be at a competitive disadvantage and lose customers.

Technology is critical to our operations and our ability to compete effectively as a transportation and logistics provider. We expect our customers to continue to demand more sophisticated technology-driven solutions from their suppliers and we must enhance or replace our information technology systems in response. This may involve significant research and development costs, implementation costs and potential operational challenges. To keep pace with changing technologies and customer demand, we continue to make investments in our technology, as well as invest in emerging technology to further drive innovation and efficiency. Recent investments include implementing new order management, transportation management, warehouse automation, contract management and financial management processes and systems. Technology and new market entrants may also disrupt the way we and our competitors operate. As technology improves and new companies enter the freight brokerage sector, our customers may be able to find alternatives to our services for matching shipments with available freight hauling capacity. We must continue to develop innovative emerging technologies to source, track and provide visibility to capacity to further improve customer outcomes.

If we fail to successfully implement critical technology, if our technology does not provide the anticipated benefits or it does not meet market demands, we may be placed at a competitive disadvantage and could lose customers, materially adversely impacting our financial condition and results of operations.

Our information technology systems also depend upon the internet, third-party service providers, global communications providers, satellite-based communications systems, the electric utilities grid, electric utility providers and telecommunications providers as well as their respective vendors. The services and service providers have all experienced significant system failures and outages at some point in the past. We have minimal control over the operation, quality, or maintenance of these services or whether vendors will improve their services or continue to provide services that are essential to our business. Disruptions due to transitional challenges in upgrading or enhancing our technology systems; failures in the services upon which our information technology platforms rely, including those that may arise from adverse weather conditions or natural calamities, such as floods, hurricanes, earthquakes or tornadoes; illegal acts, including terrorist attacks; human error or systems modernization initiatives; or other disruptions, may adversely affect our business, which could increase our costs or result in a loss of customers that could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial position.

Our information technology systems are subject to cyber and other risks some of which are beyond our control. A security breach, failure or disruption of these services could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial position.

We rely heavily on the proper functioning and availability of our information systems for our operations as well as for providing value-added services to our customers. Our information systems, including our accounting, communications and data processing systems, are integral to the efficient operation of our business. It is critical that the data processed by these systems remain secure, as it often includes competitive customer information, confidential transaction data, employee records and key financial and operational results and statistics. The sophistication of efforts by hackers, foreign governments, cyber-terrorists, and cyber-criminals, acting individually or in coordinated groups, to launch distributed denial of service attacks, ransomware or other coordinated attacks that may cause service outages, gain inappropriate or block legitimate access to systems or information, or result in other business interruptions has continued to increase in recent years. We utilize third-party service providers who have access to our systems and certain sensitive data, which exposes us to additional security risks, particularly given the complex and evolving laws and regulations regarding privacy and data protection. While we and our third-party service providers have experienced cyber-attacks and attempted breaches of our and their information technology systems and networks or similar events from time to time, no such incidents have been, individually or in the aggregate, material to us. Cyber incidents that impact the security, availability, reliability, speed, accuracy or other proper functioning of our systems, information and measures, including outages, computer viruses, theft or misuse by third parties or insiders, break-ins and similar disruptions, could have a significant adverse impact on our operations.

It is difficult to fully protect against the possibility of power loss, telecommunications failures, cyber-attacks, ransomware and other cyber incidents in every potential circumstance that may arise. In addition, the rapid evolution and increased adoption of artificial intelligence technologies may intensify our cybersecurity risks. A significant cyber incident, including system failure, security breach, disruption by malware or ransomware, or other damage, could interrupt or delay our operations, damage our reputation and brand, cause a loss of customers, expose us to a risk of loss or litigation, result in regulatory scrutiny, investigations, actions, fines or penalties or cause us to incur significant time and expense to remedy such an event, any of which could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations and financial position. Furthermore, any failure to comply with data privacy, biometric privacy, data security or other laws and regulations could result in claims, legal or regulatory proceedings, inquiries or investigations. To comply with this changing landscape, we may be required to further segregate our systems and operations, implement additional controls, or adopt new systems, all of which could increase the cost and complexity of our operations. In addition, our insurance intended to address costs associated with aspects of cyber incidents, network failures and privacy-related concerns, may not sufficiently cover all types of losses or claims that may arise.

Operational Risks

We depend on third parties for equipment and services essential to operate our business, and if we fail to secure sufficient equipment and services, we could lose customers and revenue.

We depend on third parties for transportation equipment, such as tractors, containers, chassis, and trailers and certain services such as transportation, warehousing and cross docks necessary for the operation of our business. Our industry has experienced equipment, transportation and warehouse capacity shortages in the past, particularly during the peak shipping season leading up to the December holidays. A substantial amount of intermodal freight originates at or near major West Coast ports, which have historically had the most severe equipment shortages. If we cannot secure sufficient transportation equipment and warehouse services at a reasonable price from third parties to meet our customers’ needs, our customers may seek to have their transportation and warehousing needs met by other providers with their own assets. This could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial position.

Our residential final mile delivery service exposes us to risks associated with our and our vendors’ trucks and drivers delivering to residential customers.

While we operate limited equipment and employ limited drivers that are used in the provision of final mile services, our and our vendors’ trucks and drivers operate in residential environments, including the in-home installation of appliances and other over-the-threshold services, that expose them and us to the risk of property damage, personal injury and other claims including from operating on residential streets and from entering into end-consumers’ homes. If we or any of these vendors do not reliably and safely perform their obligations, we and our vendors could be exposed to liability or reputational harm.

The ability to hire or retain management and other employees is critical to our continued success, and the loss of or inability to hire such personnel could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

There is substantial competition for qualified personnel in the transportation and logistics services industry. The loss of any member of our management team, or other key persons, or the inability to hire key persons, could have an adverse effect on us. We do not have written employment agreements with any of our executive officers and do not maintain key person insurance on any of our executive officers, although we do have restrictive covenant agreements with all of them. Many individuals in the industry are subject to non-competition agreements, reducing the immediate availability of some qualified candidates for job openings. A proposed rulemaking by the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”), if it is made effective and withstands effective legal challenges, would prevent the use of non-competition agreements in most circumstances in the future. We cannot predict the impact this proposed rule, or potential future rulemaking at the state level, might have on the recruiting and retention of management and other employees (or our ability to enforce post-termination restrictive covenants). If we lose key members of our senior management team or are unable to effect successful transitions from one executive to another as part of our succession plan, we may not be able to effectively manage our current operations or meet ongoing and future business challenges, and this could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our growth could be adversely affected if we are not able to pursue our acquisition strategy, to successfully integrate acquired businesses or to achieve the anticipated benefit from acquired companies.

We cannot guarantee that we will be able to execute acquisitions on commercially acceptable terms. Furthermore, the failure to successfully integrate an acquired business or assets, including implementing financial controls and measures or achieving cross-selling objectives, could significantly impact our financial results. Although we believe we have adequate liquidity and capital resources to fund our operations internally, our inability to access the capital markets on favorable terms, or at all, to obtain adequate financing could adversely affect our ability to pursue growth through acquisitions. Financial results most likely to be negatively affected include revenue, gross margin, salaries and benefits, general and administrative expenses, depreciation and amortization, interest expense, net income and our debt level.

Furthermore, we may not be able to realize the anticipated benefits from acquired companies. Achieving those benefits depends on the timely, efficient and successful execution of a number of post-acquisition events. Factors that could affect our ability to achieve these benefits include the integration risks described above as well as the failure of acquired businesses to perform in accordance with our expectations; the failure to achieve anticipated synergies between our business units and the business units of acquired businesses; the loss of customers of acquired businesses; or the loss of key managers of acquired businesses.

If acquired businesses do not operate as we anticipate, it could materially impact our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, acquired businesses may operate in new markets in which we have little or no experience. In such instances, we will be highly dependent on existing managers and employees to manage those businesses, and the loss of any key managers or employees of the acquired business could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and liquidity.

Legal, Regulatory and Compliance Risks

We use a significant number of contingent workers, including independent contractors, such as owner operators, independent service providers, contract carriers and warehouse staff, in our businesses. Legislative, judicial and regulatory authorities may continue to take actions or render decisions that could affect the independent contractor classification, which could have a significant adverse impact on our operating income.

We do business with many independent contractors, such as owner operators, contract carriers and warehouse staff, consistent with longstanding industry practices. Legislative, judicial, and regulatory (including tax) authorities have taken actions and rendered decisions that could affect independent contractor classifications. Class action and individual lawsuits have been filed against us and others in our industry, challenging independent contractor classifications. If contingent workers, including independent contractors and temporary workers used for our trucking, warehousing, consolidation, fulfillment or final mile delivery business, are determined to be employees, or the Company a joint employer, then we may incur legal liabilities associated with that determination, such as liability for unpaid wages, overtime, employee health insurance and taxes. If we were to change how we treat contingent workers or reclassify them as employees, then we would likely incur expenses associated with that reclassification, could incur additional ongoing expenses and face the loss of those contingent workers who choose not to become employees. The costs associated with these matters could have a material adverse effect on results of operations and our financial position.

We operate in a highly regulated industry, and changes in existing regulations or costs of compliance with, or liability for violation of, existing or future regulations or antiterrorism measures could have a material adverse effect on our business.

The Company and various subsidiaries are regulated by the DOT as motor carriers or freight brokers. The DOT prescribes qualifications for acting in these capacities, including surety bond requirements. The transportation industry is subject to DOT regulations regarding, among other things, driver breaks and “restart” rules that can affect the economics of the industry by requiring changes in operating practices or influencing the demand for, and cost of providing, transportation services. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (“FMCSA”), under the DOT, also manages a compliance and enforcement initiative partnering with state agencies designed to monitor and improve commercial vehicle motor safety. We are audited periodically by the DOT to ensure that we are in compliance with various safety, hours-of-service, and other rules and regulations. If we were found to be out of compliance, the DOT could levy fines and restrict or otherwise impact our operations. We may also become subject to new or more restrictive regulations relating to carbon emissions under climate change legislation or limits on vehicle weight and size. Future laws and regulations may be more stringent and require changes in operating practices, influence the demand for transportation services or increase the cost of providing transportation and logistics services, any of which could materially adversely affect our business and results of operations.

We are subject to a wide variety of U.S. federal, state and local non-U.S. laws, regulations and government policies, including in the areas of employment, privacy, cybersecurity, securities, anti-corruption, competition and trade, that may change in significant ways. We are not able to accurately predict how new governmental laws and regulations, or changes to existing laws and regulations, will affect the transportation and logistics industry generally, or us in particular. We are also unable to predict how political changes will affect government regulation of the transportation industry. If we incur higher costs as a result of any new regulations and are unable to pass along such costs to our customers, our business may be adversely affected.

Our failure to comply with any existing or future laws, rules or regulations to which we are, or may become, subject, whether actual or alleged, could have a material adverse effect on our business and on our ability to access the capital required to operate our business. Among other things, any such failure could expose us to reputational harm, loss of business, fines, penalties or potential litigation liabilities, including costs, settlements and judgments, as well as the loss of operating authority and restrictions on our operations.

Furthermore, terrorist attacks or other geopolitical events, along with any government response to such events, may adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations or liquidity. Our fleet, other key infrastructure and information technology systems may be targets or indirect casualties of acts of terror, other harmful acts, or war. Further, because transportation assets have been a target of terrorist activities, federal, state, local and foreign governmental bodies are proposing and, in some cases, have adopted legislation and regulations relating to security issues that impact the transportation industry, including checkpoints and travel restrictions on large trucks. If additional security measures disrupt or impede the timing of our operations, we may fail to meet the requirements of our customers or incur increased expenses to do so. In addition, complying with these or future regulations could continue to increase our operating costs and reduce operating efficiencies. We maintain insurance coverages addressing these risks; however, such insurance may be inadequate, become unavailable or be limited in scope of coverage, premiums charged for some or all of the insurance could increase dramatically, or regulations may change. These changes could exacerbate the effects of an act of terrorism or other event on our business, resulting in a significant business interruption, increased costs and liabilities and decreased revenues or an adverse impact on results of operation.

Our operations are subject to various environmental laws and regulations, including legislative and regulatory responses to climate change. Compliance with environmental requirements could result in significant expenditures and the violation of these requirements could result in substantial fines or penalties.

We are subject to various federal, state and local governmental laws and regulations that govern, among other things, the emission and discharge of hazardous materials into the environment, the presence of hazardous materials at our properties or in our vehicles, fuel storage tanks, the transportation of certain materials and the discharge or retention of storm water. Under certain environmental laws, we could also be held responsible for any costs relating to contamination at our past or present facilities and at third-party waste disposal sites, as well as costs associated with the clean-up of accidents involving our vehicles. Environmental laws have become and may continue to be increasingly more stringent over time, and there can be no assurance that our costs of complying with current or future environmental laws or liabilities arising under such laws will not have a material adverse effect on our business, operations or financial condition.

From time to time, we arrange for the movement or warehousing of hazardous materials at the request of our customers. As a result, we may be subject to various environmental laws and regulations relating to the handling of hazardous materials. If we are involved in a spill or other accident involving hazardous materials, or if we are found to be in violation of applicable laws or regulations, we could be subject to substantial fines or penalties and to civil and criminal liability, any of which could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

The Company is also subject to certain federal and state environmental laws and regulations, including those of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) and the California Air Resources Board (“CARB”). We may become subject to enforcement

actions, new or more restrictive regulations, or differing interpretations of existing regulations, which may increase the cost of providing transportation services or adversely affect our results of operations. In addition to EPA and state agency regulations on exhaust emissions with which we must comply, there is an increased legislative and regulatory focus on climate change, greenhouse gas (“GHG”) emissions and the impact of climate change that enhances the possibility of increased regulation of GHG emissions and potentially exposes us to significant new capital or operating expenditures, taxes, fees and other costs. Additionally, the State of California recently passed legislation and the SEC has proposed regulations regarding the disclosure of Scope 1, 2 and 3 GHG emissions. Compliance with these regulations could add material costs to our business, including securities and other potential litigation costs arising from our reporting of our GHG emissions, and could increase customer focus on our GHG direct and indirect emissions, which may affect the market for transportation and logistics services in ways that we cannot foresee. Such regulations, together with increased investor and stakeholder interest in climate change and other environmental topics may result in new regulations or customer, supplier or market requirements that could adversely impact our business, or certain stockholders may reduce their holdings of our stock. Limitations on the emission of GHGs, other environmental legislation, or customer GHG requirements could also have an adverse impact on our financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.

We are subject to the risks of litigation and governmental inquiries, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.

The nature of our business exposes us to a variety of litigation risks related to a number of issues, including without limitation, accidents involving our trucks and employees, alleged violations of federal and state labor and employment laws, securities laws, environmental liability, privacy and other matters. Accordingly, we are, and in the future may be, subject to legal proceedings and claims that have arisen in the ordinary course of our business, including class and collective allegations. We are also subject to potential governmental proceedings, inquiries, and claims. The parties in such actions may seek amounts from us that may not be covered in whole or in part by insurance. The defense of such lawsuits could result in significant expense and the diversion of our management’s time and attention from the operation of our business. In recent years, several insurance companies have stopped offering coverage to trucking companies as a result of increases in the severity of automobile liability claims and higher costs of settlements and verdicts. This trend has and could continue to adversely affect our ability to obtain suitable insurance coverage and significantly increase our cost for obtaining such coverage, which would adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and cash flows. Costs we incur to defend or to satisfy a judgment or settlement of these claims may not be covered by insurance or could exceed the amount of that coverage or increase our insurance costs and could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and cash flows.

Changes in immigration laws could increase the costs of doing business or otherwise disrupt our operations.

We have hired individuals, including Information Technology (“IT”) employees, from outside the United States. We have employee drivers and owner-operator drivers who are immigrants to the United States. We engage third-party consultants, including for various IT projects, who may utilize personnel from outside the United States. If immigration laws are changed or if new more restrictive government regulations are enacted or increased, our access to qualified and skilled personnel may be limited, the costs of doing business may increase and our operations may be disrupted.

Our business may be affected by uncertainty or changes in United States or global social, political or regulatory conditions.

We arrange for the movement of freight, a portion of which originates from other countries, including China, into and out of the United States, Mexico and Canada, and we import 53-foot intermodal containers manufactured in China. Adverse developments in laws, policies or practices in the United States and internationally can negatively impact our business and the business of our customers. Recent legislative initiatives, including the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 and the CHIPs and Science Act of 2022, have included provisions designed to reduce dependence on goods from China and restrict the transfer of certain intellectual property to China. Some importers are considering changes in their supply chain that may include shifting manufacturing capacity to North America or an increase in the importation of goods that are manufactured offshore through ports other than ports on the West Coast of the United States. These initiatives, and future potential initiatives, may result in changes to demand for our services including the potential for less demand for longer haul routes including intermodal services which could materially affect our business, financial conditions and results of operations. Negative domestic and international global trade conditions as a result of social, political or regulatory changes or perceptions (such as those that might be associated with pandemics or an increased focus on production in the United States), could reduce demand for our intermodal services and materially affect our business, financial conditions and results of operations. We provide services both domestically and to a lesser extent outside of the United States, which subjects our business to various additional risks, including:

If we do not correctly anticipate changes in social, political or regulatory conditions or their impact on the transportation and logistics industry, we may not alter our business practices in time to avoid adverse effects. Additionally, the occurrence or consequences of any of these factors may restrict our ability to operate in the affected region or decrease the profitability of our operations in that region.

Our suppliers may also be affected by changes in the political and regulatory environment, both in the United States and internationally. Negative impacts on our suppliers could result in disruptions in the supply and availability of equipment or services needed for our business that could in turn affect our ability to operate and serve our customers as planned. Additionally, changes to current United States international trade agreements may lead to fewer goods transported and we may need to restructure certain terms of business with suppliers or customers.

General Risks

Our failure to implement or market new and existing services to existing and potential customers could have an adverse effect on our operations.

We expect to continue expanding our service offerings. In the event we implement new service offerings, we may devote substantial resources to educating our employees and customers on such offerings with no assurance that a sufficient number of customers will use such additional services. If we add new services, we may not identify trends correctly or may not be able to bring new services as quickly, effectively or price-competitively as our competitors. Our failure to implement new services or market any existing or future services to our current customer base or new customers could have a material adverse impact on our operations and profitability.

Our inability to defend our intellectual property could damage our reputation and incur costs that have a negative impact on our operations or financial condition.

The Company has registered various trademarks and designs in the United States, Mexico and Canada. These marks play a major role in our business as they strengthen our brand recognition while helping accomplish our marketing strategy. Some of our intellectual property rights related to trademarks, trade secrets, domain names, copyrights, or other intellectual property could be challenged or invalidated or misappropriated or infringed upon, by third parties. Our continued efforts to obtain, enforce, protect and defend our intellectual property against a third-party infringement claim may be ineffective and could result in substantial costs which could adversely impact our corporate reputation, business, results of operations, and financial conditions.

Damage to our reputation through unfavorable publicity or the actions of our employees, certain suppliers or independent contractors could adversely affect our financial condition.

Our success depends on our ability to consistently deliver operational excellence and strong customer service. Our inability to deliver our services and solutions as promised on a consistent basis, or our customers having a negative experience or otherwise becoming dissatisfied, can negatively impact our relationships with new or existing customers and adversely affect our brand and reputation, which could, in turn, adversely affect revenue and earnings growth. Adverse publicity (whether or not justified) relating to activities by our employees, contractors, suppliers, agents or others with whom we do business, such as customer service mishaps or noncompliance with laws, could tarnish our reputation and reduce the value of our brand. With the increase in the use of social media outlets such as Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter), adverse publicity can be disseminated quickly and broadly, making it increasingly difficult for us to effectively respond. This unfavorable publicity could also require us to allocate significant resources to rebuild our reputation.

The market value of our Class A Common Stock may fluctuate and could be substantially adversely affected by various factors.

We expect that the market price of our Class A Common Stock will continue to fluctuate due to a variety of factors, many of which are beyond our control. These factors include, among others:

Our Class A Common Stock price may fluctuate significantly in the future, and these fluctuations may be unrelated to our performance. General market price declines or market volatility in the future could adversely affect the price of our Class A Common Stock, and the current market price of our Class A Common Stock may not be indicative of future market prices.

Item 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

None.

Item 1C. CYBERSECURITY

Hub operates in the transportation and logistics sector, which is subject to various cybersecurity risks that could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. We have implemented a risk-based approach aligned with industry standards to identify and assess the cybersecurity threats that could affect our business and information systems. We conduct periodic risk assessments to identify the potential impact and likelihood of various cyber scenarios, including those involving third-party service providers, and to determine the appropriate mitigation strategies and controls. We use various tools and methodologies to manage cybersecurity risk, including implementation of a business continuity process that includes a comprehensive Incident Response Protocol that is tested on a regular cadence and an information security training and awareness program. We also monitor and evaluate our cybersecurity posture and performance on an ongoing basis through regular vulnerability scans, penetration tests and threat intelligence feeds. We require third-party service providers with access to personal, confidential or proprietary information to implement and maintain comprehensive cybersecurity practices consistent with applicable legal standards and industry best practices.

Our business depends on the availability, reliability, and security of our information systems, networks, data and intellectual property. Any disruption, compromise or breach of our systems or data due to a cybersecurity threat or incident could adversely affect our operations, customer service, product development and competitive position. They might also result in a breach of our contractual obligations or legal duties to protect the privacy and confidentiality of our stakeholders. Such a breach could expose us to business interruption, lost revenue, ransom payments, remediation costs, liabilities to affected parties, cybersecurity protection costs, lost assets, litigation, regulatory scrutiny and actions, reputational harm, customer dissatisfaction, harm to our vendor relationships or loss of market share. In the last three years prior to filing of this Form 10-K, the Company has not experienced any significant information security breach.

Our Board has direct oversight of cybersecurity risks and strategy and receives quarterly updates from our Chief Information Officer (CIO). The Board has also delegated to the Audit Committee responsibilities related to cybersecurity and other risks of the Company. Our CIO has spent over 20 years in engineering and product development roles and our VP of Information Security and Operations has spent over 25 years in infrastructure and cybersecurity roles including in the finance and insurance industries. Additionally, one of the independent directors on our Board and a member of our Audit Committee has significant experience leading technology and information systems at some of the country’s leading hospitals and adds to our Board substantial expertise and knowledge in information technology, privacy, data governance and cybersecurity. A cross-functional incident response team, which includes members of our management team, determines the apparent severity of reported potential incidents and operationalizes the cybersecurity incident response protocol.

Item 2. PROPERTIES

As of December 31, 2023, we directly, or indirectly through our subsidiaries, operated 91 offices, terminals and warehouses throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico, including our headquarters in Oak Brook, Illinois. All of our facilities are leased except for our headquarters. Most office, terminal and warehouse leases have initial terms of more than one year and many include options to renew. While some of our leases expire in the near term, we do not believe that we will have difficulty in renewing them or in finding alternative office, warehouse or terminal space. We believe that our offices, warehouses and terminals are adequate for the purposes for which they are currently used.

Item 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

The Company is a party to litigation in the ordinary course of our business, including at various times, claims for personal injury or property damage, bankruptcy preference claims, employment-related claims, including putative class actions, commercial and intellectual property disputes, and claims regarding freight lost or damaged in transit, improperly shipped or improperly billed. Some of the lawsuits to which we are a party are covered by insurance. For a further discussion of litigation involving the Company, see Note 15 to the consolidated financial statements under “Legal Matters,” which discussion and note are incorporated herein by reference.

Item 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Not applicable.

PART II

Item 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

Our Class A Common Stock (“Class A Common Stock”) trades on the Nasdaq Global Select Market tier of the Nasdaq Stock Market under the symbol “HUBG.” There is no established trading market for shares of our Class B Common Stock (the “Class B Common Stock” together with the Class A Common Stock, the “Common Stock”).

On February 16, 2024, there were approximately 379 stockholders of record of the Class A Common Stock and in addition, there were an estimated 33,067 beneficial owners of the Class A Common Stock whose shares were held by brokers and other fiduciary institutions. On February 16, 2024, there were 10 holders of record of our Class B Common Stock.

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

On January 4, 2024, the Company announced a two-for-one stock split of the Company’s Class A and Class B common stock. Refer to the Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements for the effect of this stock split.

In October 2022, our Board of Directors (the “Board”) authorized the purchase of up to $200 million of our Class A Common Stock pursuant to a share repurchase program (the “2022 Program”). Under the 2022 Program, the shares may be repurchased in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions, from time to time subject to market and other conditions. The approved share repurchase program does not obligate us to repurchase any dollar amount or number of shares and the program may be modified, suspended or discontinued at any time. The 2022 Program was terminated in October 2023 in conjunction with the authorization of the 2023 Program (as defined below) and as a result, no shares were purchased under the 2022 Program in the fourth quarter of 2023.

In October 2023, the Board authorized the purchase of up to $250 million of our Class A Common Stock pursuant to a share repurchase program (the “2023 Program”), which replaces the 2022 Program. Under the 2023 Program, the shares may be repurchased in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions, from time to time subject to market and other conditions. The approved share repurchase program does not obligate us to repurchase any dollar amount or number of shares and the program may be modified, suspended or discontinued at any time.

We purchased 56,564 shares of Class A Common Stock for $2.1 million related to employee withholding upon vesting of restricted stock in the fourth quarter of 2023 and 67,830 shares for $2.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2022. The table below includes information on a monthly basis regarding the number of shares delivered to us by employees to satisfy the mandatory tax withholding requirement upon vesting of restricted stock during the fourth quarter of 2023. These shares do not reduce the repurchase authority under the 2023 Program. The table below also includes information on a monthly basis regarding the number of shares purchased under the 2023 Program. All share and per share amounts have been revised to give effect to the two-for-one stock split that was announced by the Company on January 4, 2024.

Quarterly Cash Dividend

On February 22, 2024, the Board declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.125 per share on the Company’s Class A and Class B common stock. The dividend is scheduled to be paid on March 27, 2024 to stockholders of record as of March 8, 2024. The declaration and payment of quarterly cash dividends are subject to the approval of the Board at its sole discretion and compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that the Board will declare or pay cash dividends on the shares of Common Stock in the future. Our certificate of incorporation requires that any cash dividends must be paid equally on each outstanding share of Class A Common Stock and Class B Common Stock. Our credit facility prohibits us from paying dividends on the Common Stock if there has been, or immediately following the payment of a dividend there would be, a default or an event of default under the credit facility. We are currently in compliance with the covenants contained in the credit facility.

Performance Graph

The following line graph compares the Company’s cumulative total stockholder return on its Class A Common Stock since December 31, 2018 with the cumulative total return of the Nasdaq Stock Market Index (NQUSBT) and the Nasdaq Transportation Index (NQUSB27707). These comparisons assume the investment of $100 on December 31, 2018 in each index and in the Company’s Class A Common Stock and the reinvestment of dividends.

Item 6. [RESERVED]

Item 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

We are a leading supply chain solutions provider in North America that offers comprehensive transportation and logistics management services focused on reliability, visibility and value for our customers. Our service offerings include a full range of freight transportation and logistics services, some of which are provided using assets we own and operate, and some of which are provided by third parties with whom we contract. Our services include intermodal, truckload, less-than-truckload, flatbed, temperature-controlled, dedicated and regional trucking. Other services include full outsource logistics solutions, transportation management services, freight consolidation, warehousing and fulfillment, and final mile delivery services.

We service a large and diversified customer base in a broad range of industries, including retail, consumer products and durable goods. We believe our strategy to offer multi-modal supply chain management solutions serves to strengthen and deepen our relationships with our customers and allows us to provide a more cost effective and higher service solution.

Beginning in the first quarter of 2023, we concluded we have two reportable segments - Intermodal and Transportation Solutions, and Logistics, which are based primarily on the services each segment provides. Results for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 have been recast to conform with current year presentation.

Intermodal and Transportation Solutions. Our Intermodal and Transportation Solutions segment offers high service, nationwide door-to-door intermodal transportation, providing value, visibility and reliability in both transcontinental and local lanes by combining rail transportation with local trucking. This segment includes our trucking operations which provides our customers with local pickup and delivery as well as high service local and regional trucking transportation using equipment dedicated to their needs. In 2023, approximately 78% of our drayage services was provided by our own fleet. We arrange for the movement of our customers’ freight in one of our approximately 50,000 containers. We contract with railroads to provide transportation for the long-haul portion of the shipment between rail terminals. Drayage between origin or destination and rail terminals are provided by our own trucking operations and third parties with whom we contract. Our dedicated service operation offers fleets of equipment and drivers to each customer on a contract basis, as well as the management and infrastructure to operate according to the customer’s high service expectations. As of December 31, 2023, our trucking transportation operation consisted of approximately 2,300 tractors, 2,900 employee drivers and 4,300 trailers. We also contract for services with approximately 460 independent owner-operators. These assets and contractual services are used to support drayage for our intermodal service offering and to serve our customers who require high service local and regional trucking transportation using equipment dedicated to their needs. Our dedicated service operation offers fleets of equipment and drivers to each customer on a contract basis, as well as the management and infrastructure to operate according to the customer’s high service expectations.

Logistics. Our Logistics segment offers a wide range of non-asset-based services including transportation management, freight brokerage services, shipment optimization, load consolidation, mode selection, carrier management, load planning and execution, warehousing, fulfillment, cross-docking, consolidation services and final mile delivery. Logistics includes our brokerage business which consists of a full range of trucking transportation services, including dry van, expedited, less-than-truckload (“LTL”), refrigerated and flatbed, all of which is provided by third-party carriers with whom we contract. We leverage proprietary technology along with collaborative relationships with third-party service providers to deliver cost savings and performance-enhancing supply chain services to our clients. Our transportation management offering also serves as a source of volume for our ITS segment. Many of the customers for these solutions are consumer goods companies who sell into the retail channel. Our final mile delivery offering provides residential final mile delivery and installation of appliances and big and bulky goods. Final mile operates through a network of independent service providers in company, customer and third-party facilities throughout the continental United States. Our business operates or has access to approximately 11 million square feet of warehousing and cross-dock space across North America, to which our customers ship their goods to be stored and distributed to destinations including residences, retail stores and other commercial locations. These services offer our customers shipment visibility, transportation cost savings, high service and compliance with retailers’ increasingly stringent supply chain requirements.

We are focused on several margin enhancement projects including network optimization, matching of inbound and outbound loads, reducing empty miles, improving our recovery of accessorial costs, increasing our driver and asset utilization, reducing repositioning costs, providing holistic solutions and improving low profit freight. Hub’s top 50 customers represent approximately 64% of revenue for fiscal 2023 while one customer accounted for more than 10% of our annual revenue in 2023 in both segments. We use various performance indicators to manage our business. We closely monitor profit levels for our top customers. We also evaluate on-time performance, customer service, cost per load and daily sales outstanding by customer account. Vendor cost changes and vendor service levels are also monitored closely.

Uncertainties and risks to our outlook include inflation, increased healthcare costs, a slowdown in consumer spending (driven by, among other factors, rising inflation, increases in interest rates, an economic recession and geopolitical concerns), a shift by consumers to spending on services at the expense of goods, an increase of retailers’ inventory levels, the ability of customers to pay our accounts receivable, a significant increase in transportation supply in the marketplace, aggressive pricing actions by our competitors and any inability to pass cost increases, such as transportation and warehouse costs, through to our customers, all of which could have a materially negative impact on our revenue, profitability and cash flow in 2024. Exiting of truckload capacity, retail inventory levels declining leading to restocking demand, a return of typical shipping peak season demands and a stronger used tractor market could have a materially positive impact on our revenue, profitability and cash flows in 2024.

Strategic Transactions

On December 20, 2023, we acquired 100% of the equity interests of Forward Air Final Mile (“FAFM”). Total consideration for the transaction was approximately $261 million in cash.

On August 22, 2022, we acquired 100% of the equity interests of TAGG. Total consideration for the transaction was approximately $103.4 million in cash.

On October 19, 2021, we acquired 100% of the equity interests of Choptank. Total consideration for the transaction was $127.6 million in cash and the settlement of accounts receivable due from Choptank of $0.3 million. In connection with the acquisition, we granted approximately $22 million of restricted stock to Choptank's senior management team, which is subject to certain vesting conditions.

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Year Ended December 31, 2023 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2022

The following table summarizes our operating revenue by segment (in thousands):

The following table summarizes our operating income by segment (in thousands):

Total consolidated operating revenue decreased 21% to $4.2 billion in 2023 from $5.3 billion in 2022.

Intermodal and Transportation Solutions (“ITS”) revenue decreased 25% to $2.5 billion primarily due to a 14% decrease in intermodal volume due to low transportation demand and an oversupply of truckload carrier capacity, a 14% decrease in intermodal revenue per load (primarily due to lower price, fuel prices and mix) and a 4% decline in dedicated revenues due to lost customers partially offset by growth with existing and new customers.

ITS operating income decreased to $107 million, 4% of revenue, as compared to $349 million, 11% of revenue in the prior year due to lower volume, lower customer rates, and lower surcharges and accessorial income. These headwinds were partially offset by lower drayage costs as we increased the portion of drayage handled on our own fleet to 78% in 2023 as compared to 55% in the prior year, as well as an improvement in profitability at our dedicated trucking service line.

Logistics revenue decreased 14% to $1.8 billion primarily driven by lower revenue per load in our brokerage service line and lower managed transportation and final mile service line revenue, partially offset by an increase in fulfillment revenue. Brokerage volumes were flat compared to the prior year. Logistics operating income was 6% of revenue in both 2023 and 2022. Operating income was $105 million as compared to $126 million last year, as lower revenue was partially offset by lower purchased transportation costs and our yield management initiatives.

The following is a summary of operating results and certain items in the consolidated statements of income as a percentage of revenue (in thousands):

CONSOLIDATED OPERATING EXPENSES

Purchased Transportation and Warehousing

Purchased transportation and warehousing costs decreased 22% to $3.1 billion in 2023 from $4.0 billion in 2022. As a percentage of revenue, purchased transportation and warehousing costs decreased to 74.8% in 2023 versus 75.6% in 2022 due to cost control initiatives and less third-party drayage usage.

Purchased transportation and warehousing costs declined as compared to prior year due to lower volumes, reductions in third party carrier costs and decreased use of third-party carriers for drayage in ITS.

Salaries and Benefits

Salaries and benefits increased to $553 million in 2023 from $543 million in 2022. As a percentage of revenue, salaries and benefits increased to 13.2% in 2023 from 10.2% in 2022.

This increase was primarily due to $81 million of incremental expense related to the increase of our average company driver count and warehouse employees. The increase includes a $5 million increase in medical benefits, as well as increased expenses resulting from TAGG, which incurred twelve months of expenses in 2023 as compared to just over seven months of expenses in 2022 and FAFM which was acquired in December 2023. These increases were partially offset by a $71 million reduction in office employee compensation due to lower headcount and lower incentive compensation expense.

Headcount, which includes drivers, warehouse personnel and office employees, was 5,956, which includes 641 employees of FAFM, as of December 31, 2023 and 5,921 as of December 31, 2022. The increase in headcount was due primarily to the acquisition of FAFM partially offset by decreases in both office employees and company drivers.

Depreciation and Amortization

Depreciation and amortization expense increased to $144 million in 2023 from $132 million in 2022. This increase was primarily due to increased container, tractor and warehouse equipment depreciation expense as well as the amortization of intangibles related to the acquisitions of TAGG and FAFM. This expense, as a percentage of revenue, increased to 3.4% in 2023 from 2.5% in 2022. Depreciation expense includes transportation equipment, technology investments, leasehold improvements, warehouse equipment, office equipment and building improvements.

Insurance and Claims

Insurance and claims expense decreased to $49 million in 2023 from $58 million in 2022. This decrease was primarily due to less claim expenses related to both auto liability and workers compensation claims in 2023. These expenses, as a percentage of revenue, increased to 1.2% in 2023 from 1.1% in 2022.

General and Administrative

General and administrative expenses decreased to $106 million in 2023 from $121 million in 2022. These expenses, as a percentage of revenue, increased to 2.5% in 2023 from 2.2% in 2022.

This expense decrease was primarily due to less impairment of a right-of-use asset and decreases in use tax expense, outside sales commissions, bad debt expense and professional services expense including IT software expense. These decreases were partially offset by higher rent expense, the closing costs related to the FAFM acquisition, higher temporary labor expense as well as increased expenses resulting from TAGG, which incurred twelve months of expenses in 2023 as compared to just over four months of expenses in 2022 and FAFM which was acquired in December 2023.

Gain on Sale of Assets, Net

Net gains on the sale of equipment decreased to $7 million in 2023 from $24 million in 2022. This decrease resulted from both less units sold and a lower average gain per unit sold in 2023 as compared to 2022. We expect gains in 2024 to continue to be lower than prior years due to a softer used tractor market.

Other Income (Expense)

Other Expense decreased to $3 million in 2023 from $7 million in 2022. Interest expense increased to $13 million in 2023 from $7 million in 2022 due primarily to higher interest rates on our debt and higher average debt balances. The expense increase was partially offset by increased interest income of $10 million in 2023 due to higher interest rates on our cash balance and higher cash balances throughout the year.

Provision for Income Taxes

The provision for income taxes decreased to $42 million in 2023 from $111 million in 2022 due a decrease in pre-tax income. We provided for income taxes using an effective rate of 19.9% in 2023 and an effective rate of 23.7% in 2022. The lower effective tax rate in 2023 resulted primarily from a change in state apportionment methodology.

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Year Ended December 31, 2022 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2021

The following table summarizes our operating revenue by segment (in thousands):

The following table summarizes our operating income by segment (in thousands):

Total consolidated operating revenue increased 26% to $5.3 billion in 2022 from $4.2 billion in 2021.

Intermodal and Transportation Solutions (“ITS”) revenue increased 24% to $3.3 billion primarily due to a 32% increase in intermodal revenue per load (a combination of price, accessorial, fuel and mix) driven by favorable industry demand and supply conditions, and a 4% increase in dedicated revenues, offset by a 4% decrease in intermodal volume.

ITS operating income increased to $349 million, 11% of revenue, as compared to $169 million, 6% of revenue in the prior year due to higher customer rates, as well as accessorial and surcharge income, partially offset by lower intermodal volume, higher drayage costs, and increased repositioning costs.

Logistics revenue increased 29% to $2.1 billion primarily driven by the impact of a full year of revenue from Choptank (acquired in October 2021) and the partial year revenue contribution from TAGG (acquired in August 2022). We also experienced revenue growth at our Final Mile, Managed Transportation, Consolidation and legacy Brokerage businesses.

Logistics operating income was 6% of revenue in 2022 and 4% of revenue in 2021. Operating income was $126 million as compared to $69 million in 2021, driven by the acquisitions of Choptank and TAGG, as well as yield improvements and higher operating efficiencies across all of our businesses.

The following is a summary of operating results and certain items in the consolidated statements of income as a percentage of revenue (in thousands):

CONSOLIDATED OPERATING EXPENSES

Purchased Transportation and Warehousing

Purchased transportation and warehousing costs increased 27% to $4.0 billion in 2022 from $3.2 billion in 2021. As a percentage of revenue, Purchased transportation and warehousing costs increased to 75.6% in 2022 versus 74.9% in 2021 due to increased fuel costs and accessorial expenses.

The increase in purchased transportation costs in 2022, as compared to 2021, was primarily due to increased rail costs, increased fuel costs, higher brokerage volume, higher third-party carrier costs, increased repositioning costs as well as increased business activity.

Salaries and Benefits

Salaries and benefits decreased to $543 million in 2022 from $590 million in 2021. As a percentage of revenue, salaries and benefits decreased to 10.2% in 2022 from 13.9% in 2021.

This decrease was primarily due to $78 million less of incremental expense related to the decreased average company driver count, partially offset by an $8 million increase in incentive compensation expense, a $4 million increase in office employee compensation due to higher headcount and increased expenses resulting from the acquisitions of TAGG and Choptank.

Headcount, which includes drivers, warehouse personnel and office employees, was 5,921 and 4,718 as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The increase in the number of drivers and warehouse personnel was partially offset by a decrease in the headcount of office employees. The above statistics include the impact of both the TAGG and Choptank acquisitions.

Depreciation and Amortization

Depreciation and amortization expense increased to $132 million in 2022 from $116 million in 2021. This increase was primarily due to increased container, tractor and warehouse equipment depreciation expense as well as the amortization of intangibles related to the acquisitions of TAGG in August of 2022 and Choptank in October 2021. This expense, as a percentage of revenue, decreased to 2.5% in 2022 from 2.8% in 2021. Depreciation expense includes transportation equipment, technology investments, leasehold improvements, warehouse equipment, office equipment and building improvements.

Insurance and Claims

Insurance and claims expense increased to $58 million in 2022 from $44 million in 2021. This increase was primarily due to higher claims expenses related to both auto liability and workers compensation claims in 2022 as well as higher premium costs. These expenses, as a percentage of revenue, remained consistent at 1.1% in both 2022 and 2021.

General and Administrative

General and administrative expenses increased to $121 million in 2022 from $90 million in 2021. These expenses, as a percentage of revenue, increased to 2.2% in 2022 from 2.1% in 2021.

This expense increase was primarily due to the acquisitions of TAGG in August 2022 and Choptank, which incurred twelve months of expenses in 2022 as compared to just two months of expenses in 2021, as well as increases in legal expenses, higher use tax expense, the impairment write-off of leased assets and higher professional costs related to acquisitions and IT costs.

Gain on Sale of Assets, Net

Net gains on the sale of equipment increased to $24 million in 2022 from $19 million in 2021. This increase resulted from both more units sold and a higher average gain per unit sold in 2022 as compared to 2021.

Other Income (Expense)

Other Expense decreased slightly to $7 million in 2022 from $8 million in 2021. Interest expense increased to $8 million in 2022 from $7 million in 2021 due primarily to higher interest rates on our debt and higher average debt balances. This expense increase was partially offset by increased interest income of $1 million in 2022 due to higher interest rates on our cash balance and higher cash balances.

Provision for Income Taxes

Provision for income taxes increased to $111 million in 2022 from $59 million in 2021 due to significantly higher pre-tax income in 2022. Our effective tax rate was 23.7% in 2022 and 25.7% in 2021. The lower effective tax rate in 2022 compared to 2021 was primarily related to a change in our state apportionment factors, resulting in a reduction to the tax rate. Additionally, we decreased the valuation allowance on state tax incentives due to our increase in pre-tax income.

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

Our financing and liquidity strategy is to fund operating cash payments and future dividends through cash received from the provision of services, cash on hand, and to a lesser extent, from cash received from the sale of equipment. As of December 31, 2023, we had $187 million of cash and cash equivalents and $21 million of restricted investments. We generally fund our purchases of transportation equipment through the issuance of secured, fixed rate Equipment Notes. In prior years, we have funded our business acquisitions from cash on hand. Payments for our other investing activities, such as the construction of our office buildings and our capitalized technology investments, have been funded by cash on hand or cash flows from operations. Cash used in financing activities including the purchase of treasury stock has been funded by cash from operations or cash on hand. We expect our newly declared dividend to be funded by cash on hand. We have not historically used our Credit Facility to fund our operating, investing, or financing cash needs, though it is available to fund future cash requirements as needed. Based on past performance and current expectations, we believe cash on hand and cash received from the provision of services, along with other financing sources, will provide us the necessary capital to fund transactions and achieve our planned growth for the next twelve months and the foreseeable future.

Cash provided by operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2023 was approximately $422 million, which resulted primarily from non-cash charges of $210 million, income of $168 million and changes in operating assets and liabilities of $44 million.

Cash provided by operating activities totaled $422 million in 2023 compared to $458 million in 2022. The $36 million decrease in cash flow was primarily due to a decrease in net income of $189 million, partially offset by an increase in the change in assets and liabilities of $103 million and an increase in non-cash charges of $50 million.

Net cash used in investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2023 was $373 million which included cash used in acquisitions of $261 million and capital expenditures of $140 million, partially offset by proceeds from the sale of equipment of $28 million. Capital expenditures of $140 million related primarily to tractors of $71 million, containers of $41 million, technology investments of $14 million, warehouse equipment of $12 million and leasehold improvements of $3 million.

Capital expenditures decreased by approximately $79 million in 2023 as compared to 2022. The 2023 decrease was due to decreased container purchases of $60 million, less spend on our corporate headquarters of $17 million, less technology investments of $9 million

and less other transportation equipment purchases of $8 million. These decreases were partially offset by more purchases of warehouse equipment of $12 million, tractors of $3 million and the remainder related to leasehold improvements in 2023.

In 2024, we estimate capital expenditures will range from $55 million to $75 million. We expect transportation equipment purchases to range from $40 million to $45 million, technology investments of approximately $20 million and warehouse equipment and other of approximately $10 million. We plan to fund these expenditures with a combination of cash and debt.

Net cash used in financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2023 was $148 million which includes cash used for the purchase of treasury stock of $144 million, repayments of long-term debt of $106 million, cash used for stock tendered for payments of withholding taxes of $10 million and finance lease payments of $2 million, partially offset by proceeds from the issuance of debt of $114 million. Debt incurred in 2023 was used to fund the purchase of transportation equipment.

The $96 million increase in cash used in financing activities for 2023 versus 2022 was primarily due to an increase in the purchase of treasury stock of $34 million, an increase in cash paid for stock related to employee withholding taxes of $2 million and a decrease in proceeds from the issuance of debt of $65 million, partially offset by a decrease in the repayments of long-term debt of $5 million.

In 2023, cash paid for income taxes was $35 million, of which $23 million related to 2023 and $12 million related to 2022. The $23 million of cash paid for income taxes related to 2023 is less than the 2023 income tax expense of $41 million. This difference is a result of favorable book to tax differences, primarily those related to compensation, which caused 2023 taxable income to be less than 2023 financial statement income before taxes. We expect cash payments in 2024 for taxes to be greater than book tax expense.

See Note 10 of the consolidated financial statements for details related to interest rates and commitment fees.

We have standby letters of credit that expire in 2024. As of December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, our letters of credit were $1 million and $43 million, respectively.

As of December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, we had no borrowings under our respective credit agreements and our unused and available borrowings were $349 million and $307 million, respectively. We were in compliance with the financial covenants in our credit agreements as of December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022.

CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS

Aggregated information about our obligations and commitments to make future contractual payments such as debt and lease obligations as of December 31, 2023 is presented in the following table (in thousands).

Future Payments Due:

As of February 16, 2024, Hub signed various operating and finance leases which had not commenced as of December 31, 2023. Based on the present value of the lease payments, the estimated right-of-use (“ROU”) assets and lease liabilities related to these contracts will total approximately $7.1 million and $0.3 million for operating and finance leases, respectively.

Deferred Compensation

Under our Non-qualified Deferred Compensation Plan (the “Plan”), participants can elect to defer certain compensation. Payments under the Plan are due as follows (in thousands):

Future Payments Due:

The above future payments are fully funded by our restricted investments comprised of mutual funds and other security instruments as noted in Note 14.

CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with United States generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions. In certain circumstances, those estimates and assumptions can affect amounts reported in the accompanying consolidated financial statements. We have made our best estimates and judgments of certain amounts included in the financial statements, giving due consideration to materiality. We do not believe there is a great likelihood that materially different amounts would be reported related to the accounting policies described below. However, application of these accounting policies involves the exercise of judgment and use of assumptions as to future uncertainties and, as a result, actual results could differ from these estimates. The following is a brief discussion of the more significant accounting policies and estimates. These critical accounting policies are further discussed in Note 1 of the consolidated financial statements, which describes these and our other significant accounting policies.

Revenue Recognition

In accordance with the Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) topic 606, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers,” our significant accounting policy for revenue is as follows:

Revenue is recognized when we transfer services to our customers in an amount that reflects the consideration we expect to receive. We account for a contract when it has approval and commitment from both parties, the rights of the parties are identified, payment terms are identified, the contract has commercial substance and collectability of consideration is probable. We generally recognize revenue over time because of continuous transfer of control to the customer. Since control is transferred over time, revenue and related transportation costs are recognized based on relative transit time, which is based on the extent of progress towards completion of the related performance obligation. We enter into contracts that can include various combinations of services, which are capable of being distinct and accounted for as separate performance obligations. Taxes assessed by a governmental authority that are both imposed on and concurrent with a specific revenue-producing transaction, that are collected by the Company from a customer, are excluded from revenue. Further, in most cases, we report our revenue on a gross basis because we are the primary obligor as we are responsible for providing the service desired by the customer. Our customers view us as responsible for fulfillment including the acceptability of the service. Service requirements may include, for example, on-time delivery, handling freight loss and damage claims, setting appointments for pick-up and delivery and tracing shipments in transit. We have discretion in setting prices for our services and as a result, the amount we earn varies. In addition, we have the discretion to select our vendors from multiple suppliers for the services ordered by our customers. These factors, discretion in setting prices and discretion in selecting vendors, further support reporting revenue on a gross basis for most of our revenue.

Allowance for Uncollectible Trade Accounts

We extend credit to customers after a review of each customer’s credit profile and history. An allowance for uncollectible trade accounts has been established through an analysis of the accounts receivable aging, an assessment of collectability based on historical trends and an evaluation based on current economic conditions. Annually we review, in hindsight, the percentage of receivables that are collected that aged over one year, those that are not one year old and the accounts that went into bankruptcy. We reserve for accounts less than one year old based on specifically identified uncollectible balances and our historic collection percentage, including receivable adjustments charged through revenue for items such as billing disputes. In establishing a reserve for certain account balances specifically identified as uncollectible, we consider the aging of the customer receivables, the specific details as to why the receivable has not been paid, the customer’s current and projected financial results, the customer’s ability to meet and sustain its financial commitments, the positive or negative effects of the current and projected industry outlook and the general economic conditions. Our historical collection percentage has been over 98% on average for receivables that are less than one year old. Changes in our historical collection percentages of receivables that are less than one year old either positively or negatively, based on our collection history, would affect our calculated allowance for uncollectible trade accounts.

Once a receivable ages over one year, our collection percentage is much lower, thus a separate allowance is calculated for open receivables that have aged over one year. We also review our collection percentage after a customer has gone into bankruptcy. Although these collection percentages may change both negatively and positively, since only a small portion of our receivables are aged over one year or are involved in a bankruptcy case, a large change in either of those collection percentages would not have a material impact on our financial statements. Our level of reserves for customer accounts receivable fluctuates depending upon all the factors mentioned above. Historically, our reserve for uncollectible accounts has approximated actual accounts written off and we do not expect the reserve for uncollectible accounts to change significantly relative to our accounts receivable balance. The allowance for uncollectible accounts is reported on the balance sheet in net accounts receivable. Recoveries of receivables previously charged off are recorded when received.

Claims Accruals

We purchase insurance coverage for a portion of expenses related to employee injuries, vehicular collisions, accidents, and cargo damage. Certain insurance arrangements include high SIR limits or deductibles applicable to each claim. We have umbrella policies to limit our exposure above these SIR limits and deductibles.

Our claims accrual policy for all self-insured claims is to recognize a liability at the time of the incident based on our analysis of the nature and severity of the claims and analyses provided by third-party claims administrators, as well as legal and regulatory factors. Our safety and claims personnel work directly with representatives from the insurance companies and third-party administrators to continually update the estimated cost of each claim. The ultimate cost of a claim develops over time as additional information regarding the nature, timing, and extent of damages claimed becomes available. Accordingly, we use actuarial methods to develop current claim information to derive an estimate of our ultimate claim liability. This process involves the use of loss-development factors based on our historical claims experience. In doing so, the recorded liability considers future claims growth and provides an allowance for incurred-but-not-reported claims. Changes in loss development factors caused by differences between the estimates of future medical costs, future severity trend factors and future legal costs could materially change our recorded claim accrual liability. Our claim accrual liability is classified as either current or non-current in the consolidated balance sheet based on an estimate of when the claims are expected to be paid. We do not discount our estimated losses. In addition, we record receivables for amounts expected to be reimbursed for payments made in excess of self-insurance levels on covered claims.

Item 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

We are exposed to market risk related to changes in interest rates. The Company maintains a bank line of credit and has both fixed and variable rate debt as described in Note 10 to the consolidated financial statements. Any material increase in market interest rates would not have a material impact on the results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2023.

Although we conduct business in foreign countries, international operations are not material to our consolidated financial position, results of operations, or cash flows. Additionally, foreign currency transaction gains and losses were not material to our results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2023. Accordingly, we are not currently subject to material foreign currency exchange rate risks from the effects that exchange rate movements of foreign currencies would have on our future costs or on future cash flows we would receive from our foreign investment. To date, we have not entered into any foreign currency forward exchange contracts or other derivative financial instruments to hedge the effects of adverse fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. We do not use financial instruments for trading purposes.

Item 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULE

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the Stockholders and the Board of Directors of Hub Group, Inc.

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Hub Group, Inc. (the Company) as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the related consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income, stockholders' equity and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2023, and the related notes and financial statement schedule listed in the Index at Item 15(b) (collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial statements”). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company at December 31, 2023 and 2022, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2023, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023, based on criteria established in Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013 framework), and our report dated February 27, 2024 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Critical Audit Matter

The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current period audit of the financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of the critical audit matter does not alter in any way our opinion on the consolidated financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the account or disclosure to which it relates.

/s/ Ernst & Young LLP

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2002.

Chicago, Illinois

February 27, 2024

HUB GROUP, INC.

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(in thousands, except share amounts)